Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 9-1542 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technology in which, in a cutting process for cutting a thin-plate material such as a semiconductor wafer into a plurality of members with a specified dimension, damages of a blade and the thin-plate material which are caused when scraps existing on a periphery of the thin-plate material are scattered and hit the blade and the thin-plate material are avoided. Specifically, a cutting stroke (cutting area) along the semiconductor wafer is set to be shorter than the entire length of a scribe-line, thereby leaving an uncut part on the periphery of the semiconductor wafer.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2002-43254 (Patent Document 2) discloses a technology in which dicing is performed by a dicing apparatus including a means that detects an outer end of a semiconductor wafer. Specifically, data of the outer end detected by the means that detects the outer end of the semiconductor wafer is stored, and based on this data, cutting starts from an inner side within a predetermined area from one side of the outer end. Thereafter, cutting is performed from an inner side within a predetermined area from the other side of the outer end.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 5-90406 (Patent Document 3) discloses a technology in which, in cutting a semiconductor wafer, a first cutting line for dicing from an outside of a periphery of the semiconductor wafer and a second cutting line for dicing from an inside of the periphery of the semiconductor wafer are alternately provided in both vertical and horizontal dicing directions.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 6-224298 (Patent Document 4) discloses an improved method of dicing a semiconductor wafer with fewer occurrences of defective portions even when cutting-off is resumed after once cutting-off is suspended to remove a semiconductor wafer from a dicing table. Specifically, the semiconductor wafer is cut off so that a partially-uncut portion is left on a cutting line. Then, cutting-off is suspended to remove the semiconductor wafer from the dicing table. Then, the blade is replaced and cutting off of the semiconductor wafer is started again. At this time, the partially-uncut portion is cut off on the cutting line.
Also, a technology of forming one dicing line in a two-stage cutting step (step-cutting) is disclosed (Non-Patent Document 1).    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 9-1542    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2002-43254    Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 5-90406    Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 6-224298    Non-Patent Document 1: SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING HANDBOOK, refer to ITEM 20.4.2